Zootopia: Blackout
by TheForbiddenTree
Summary: A failed assassination attempt leaves Judy's life hanging by a thread. Fueled by anger, sorrow, and the unbridled desire for justice, Nick is prepared to go to any length to see those responsible brought to justice. Unbeknownst to him, he and Judy have been mixed up in a generation's old conflict between two sworn enemies.
1. The Day It All Began

**_Zootopia and all subsequent characters are respectively the property of Disney._**

 ** _NOTE: This story is rated Fiction-M for graphic violence, strong language, and mild suggestive themes._**

 ** _Reader's Discretion is advised.  
_** ========================================================================= ** _  
_**

 **Chapter I: The Day It All Began**

 ** _Nick's POV:_**

I vividly remember that whole day down to the last detail, but let's back track just a little. My name is Nick Wilde, and I'm a Zootopia police officer... well, I am as of recently anyway. This is thanks to another officer whom I now call my wife, Judy Hopps. Two and a half years ago, I was... for lack of better words, a 'nobody'. If society was only going to see me as a sly fox, why try to be different? Okay, there's quite a bit more to it than just having a damnable stereotype shadow me everywhere I went. Let's just say that, something really bad happened to me as a kid. Something no other kid should suffer through. Anyways, my first interaction with Judy was when she had unwittingly helped Finnick, whom was disguised as my "son", and I pull off a pretty successful hustle. We (Finnick and I) gave the clerk behind the counter a good sob story, but Judy was the one that enlightened the clerk and customers on something else coming with the ice cream (apparently an ungloved trunk is a class three health code violation). All of that to get a Jumbo Pop to melt down, refreeze, and resell as Pawpsicles (yes, that's what we called them). She confronted me about lying to her and using her for my own gain. Now, sure, she was absolutely right, and I was being an insufferable asshole, but that didn't stop me from sending rather harsh reality checks her way. The next time I saw her, she had me help her with the missing mammal she'd been assigned-... well, more accurately, she essentially blackmailed me into helping her by waving the possibility of prison time over my head (for the record, it was tax evasion). The missing mammal she was assigned was Emmett Otterton, one of thirteen other missing mammals. She had very little to work off of and it just so happened Emmett was one of my pawpsicle customers. The real kicker was that she was given two days, forty-eight hours, to solve a case that the other, far more seasoned officers hadn't solved in WEEKS. By and large, she was just a rookie cop carrying out her duties, and I didn't really take her situation seriously. The case led us to an old friend of mine, the crime lord of Tundra Town, Mr. Big. Mr. Big was about to "ice" Judy and I, that is, leave us to die of hypothermia in a pool of arctic-temperature water below his quarters, but we were saved by Mr. Big's daughter, of whom Judy saved the day before. Mr. Big repaid Judy's blind act of heroism with information about Emmett. He'd apparently gone crazy, or what people soon after called "savage", and attacked Mr. Monchez, his limo driver. This lead us to the Rainforest District with the intent of speaking with Mr. Monchez. We barely got any words from him before he suddenly went crazy too. After narrowly escaping death not once, but twice over in the window of about ten minutes or so, the police arrived... a moment too late. Mr. Monchez, irrefutable proof that predators were going savage for what at the time was an unknown reason, was gone. I'm not entirely sure why I snapped at Chief Bogo like I did. I tend to think it was this unwarranted prejudice and disrespect he showed towards Judy back then. Maybe also the aforementioned odds deliberately stacked against her. Whatever the case was, we (okay, mostly she) later discovered that Emmett Otterton (as well as the other thirteen missing mammals) had been drugged with a concentrate made from "Nighthowler" plants (they apparently grow wild on Judy's Parent's farm). The best way I can describe it is that the petals of the nighthowler would be juiced and, as said before, concentrated to bring out the worst effects, at which point, when ready, it would fill an empty paintball. The one contracted to make the drug was Doug the sheep, and his method of administering said drug was by firing the paintball from a high-velocity CO2 paintball pistol. The biggest twist in all of it was the mastermind. The individual behind the entire scandal was former Assistant Mayor Bellwether. It's been two and a half years or so since all that happened. Just a month or so before IT (the more recent horrible event) happened, I'd finally worked up the courage to propose to Judy. Her answer wasn't much in the way of words, but it was a hug that definitely meant "yes". I was excited, to say the least. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity, I was finally happy. As far as we could see, life seemed pretty bright ahead. One major accomplishment for the two of us was getting an apartment together. The apartment was decent-sized. There was the main room, comprised of a living room with a small kitchen behind it, one bathroom, and one bedroom. Nothing fancy, but worlds better than the cramped space Judy lived in before.

I was arresting some crook in Rainforest district who'd stolen a purse. "Ah c'mon, flatfoot, cut me some slack!" he said. "Yeah, sorry. Not happening, pal." As I was cuffing him, my cell rang, so I finished cuffing the guy, put him in the back of my car and pulled out my cell to check who was calling. It was Police Chief Bogo, so I answered. "Chief, what's up?" "Officer Wilde?" He said with a strangely calm voice. "S-... something wrong, chief?" "How soon can you get to the Central Hospital?" "... why?" He sighed before responding. "Officer Hopps was admitted just ten minutes ago." It was as if all had gone completely silent in that moment... the phone slid from my hand and hit the ground, cracking part of the screen and damaging a corner. I just stood there, frozen, not even thinking of anything. It was like I was in a trance, completely unaware of my surroundings, only feeling the wind lightly brush through my fur. I could barely hear the crook in the back of my cruiser saying "Yo, flatfoot...? You okay...?". That moment felt so surreal that I was sure I was dreaming. It was when I heard Bogo call "Officer Wilde?" from my phone did I snap from my frozen gaze. I fumbled to get a grip on the phone, and when I did, I said "I'll be there as soon as possible." and closed the call. I dropped the would-be thief off at the Rainforest district station and wasted no time getting to the central city hospital. When I made it up to her room, I saw that Chief Bogo was talking to a doctor. I couldn't hear what they were saying, it didn't matter to me. Judy's condition left me frozen on the spot. She lay unconscious in a bed, a small bandage patched the upper left of her forehead, an EKG monitoring her heartbeat, and an oxygen mask her only means of breathing. I was so lost in my frozen state that I hadn't even notice the doctor walked up to greet me. He was a otter, average height and slightly stocky. Oval-framed glasses sat upon the bridge of his nose, his facial features were far softer and made him easy to approach. He wore a long, white doctor's coat.

"You must be Officer Wilde. I'm doctor Mark Mollar. It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand toward me. "Likewise." I replied as I shook his hand slowly. I couldn't look away, no matter how hard I tried. The haunting sight of Judy unconscious left me speechless. I used what crumbs of strength I had to bring the question on mind into words. "What happened to her?" A momentary silence followed my question before Chief Bogo explained. "According to the witness that called the emergency services and attempted resuscitating her, she stumbled out of the stairwell to the Sahara Square subway line shortly before collapsing and passing out from blood loss." "Blood loss? What from?" I asked. "A gunshot wound." Dr. Mollar said. "What!?" I was in disbelief. "Here," Dr. Mollar said as he pulled a tablet from his left coat pocket, selected something, and handed it to me. "these are the x-rays I did twelve minutes ago. The bullet entered through her lower right abdomen." He explained. I looked each x-ray over many times before considering what to say. "It... looks like it missed almost everything important." "True, Officer Wilde... but the entry wound and internal damage are only small fraction of the main concern." "?" I looked at him confused. "Allow me to elaborate on that a little bit..." he said as he went and retrieved a binder from a nearby shelf. "So, back when I was in medical school, we were taught about the relationship between a mammal's size and heart rate. It's an inverse one. So as a mammal's size increases, their heart rate decreases and vice versa. Starting with the species red foxes, there's a part of that scale that we commonly refer to as the 'danger' area." "Danger area?" "Essentially, when you start getting to much smaller mammals, the danger of bleeding out due to a fast heart rate rises exponentially. In laymen's terms, a small mammal being wounded even if only minor can lead to far more severe matters." "So what does this mean for my wife?" "There's... no easy way to say this, Officer Wilde..." he said as he took his glasses off and began to clean them with his handkerchief. "The severe blood loss Officer Hopps suffered caused her to slip into a coma." "She's in a coma...?" I repeated back softly. "How long will this coma last...?" I ask him. "Unfortunately, only time will tell. It could be a matter of days, weeks, even months before she might wake." I realized he mentioned nothing about the bandage that draped her head. "What about the head wound?" "The caller said she might have slipped and struck her head against the railing while clambering to up the Sahara Square's subway stairs. Which, in that case, would explain the concussion." Dr. Mollar explained. "That reminds me..." Chief Bogo said, as he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and sent something to mine. I pulled mine out and saw it was a sound file. "If you're interested... this was the ZES call from earlier today. It was recorded by Joseph Barker, the first responder who answered it." My phone in my hands, I just stared at the screen and debated with myself whether or not to play the call. Hesitantly, I pressed the play button and silently listened...

 _Joseph: "Z.E.S., what is your emergency?"_

 _Caller: "Hello?"_

 _Joseph: "I hear you loud and clear, sir."_

 _Caller: "O-okay good."_

 _Joseph: "What is the emergency, sir?"_

 _Caller: "There's a rabbit laying here, she's bleeding pretty badly."_

 _Joseph: "M'kay, where'd you say you were?"_

 _Caller: "I'm just outside the Sahara Square subway entrance."_

 _Joseph: "Alright, medics are on their way. Is the rabbit conscious?"_

 _Caller: "Yes, barely by the looks of it. Her breathing is pretty heavy."_

 _Joseph: "Can you tell where- can you tell me where she's bleeding?"_

 _Caller: "Near her stomach, kind of to the right- it looks kind of like a gunshot."_

 _Joseph: "Okay, well, I'm gonna need you to find a clean cloth of some kind."_

 _Caller: "I think- hold on..."_

 _*puts cellphone down*_

 _*picks cellphone up*_

 _Caller: "I have a clean handkerchief, will that work?"_

 _Joseph: "That'll do just fine. Now I'm gonna need you to keep pressure on the wound."_

 _Caller: "Okay."_

 _*puts phone down*_

 _*muffled, indecipherable*_

 _*Judy's crying, pain*_

 _Caller*to Judy: "It'll be alright, ma'am. The ambulance will be here a in little bit."_

 _*Judy's crying*_

 _Caller*to Judy: "The emergency guy said about a minute or so."_

 _*indecipherable*_

 _Judy*meekly,crying: "I don''t... I don't know... I don't know..."_

 _*moments pass, silence*_

 _Joseph: "Sir? Is she alright?"_

 _*picks up phone*_

 _Caller: "She just passed out, what do I do now?"_

 _Joseph: "The ETA on the ambulance is about a minute and a half. Do you know CPR?"_

 _Caller: "Yes, well, it's been years since I was taught."_

 _Joseph: "Try to resuscitate her while the ambulance gets there."_

 _Caller: "Okay."_

 _*drops phone*_

 _*distant, approaching sirens*_

 _Caller: "Okay, the ambulance is here..."_

 _Joseph: "Alright, they'll take care of her now."_

 _Caller: "She'll be okay, right?"_

 _Joseph: "I'm not sure how to answer. We can only hope."_

 _Caller: "Do I need to do anything else."_

 _Joseph: "No sir. As I said, the medics'll handle it from here. Thank you for your help though and have a nice day."_

 _Caller: "Yeah, you too."_

 _*call ends*_

"They were able to remove the bullet. It's already been sent to a local weapons expert, a good friend of the department for analysis." Bogo added. Dizziness and nausea washed over me as the clips finished. "Excuse me... I'll- be right back..." I stumbled out of the room and darted for the nearest men's room. I made it just in time to throw my lunch up in one of the sinks. I tried to collect myself... only to puke again. I splashed my face with water from another tap. My head began to pound and my sight blurred as I washed the foul taste of vomit from my mouth. Through my blurred eyesight, I saw myself in the mirror. In a few short minutes, I had gone from looking like my normal self to looking disheveled. My fur had gone from tidy to unkempt. I didn't want to believe this was happening. "This isn't real. This _can't_ be real. This is... this is just some twisted nightmare. It has to be..." I spoke softly to myself. I splashed water on my face in a desperate attempt to wake myself up, but it was in vain. I pinched myself as hard as I could in another attempt, again, to no avail. I was wide awake, and everything that happened was all too real. I made the slow return to Judy's room. "Are you alright?" Dr. Mollar asked. Internally, I was saying _Are you shitting me?_ But my actual reply was "I'm fine." I proceeded with the next question that was on mind at the time. "Does the media... or anyone else know about this yet?" "No, but it won't be long before they do." Bogo responded. "Do Judy's parents know yet?" "I haven't informed them yet." Dr. Mollar said. "That reminds me, I should do that now before I forget-" I stopped him from picking the phone up. "Don't. I'll tell them myself." "Oh... okay, I understand." he nodded. I turned to Bogo. "Chief?" "Do you what you have to do, Officer Wilde." I went back out to my cruiser, but I didn't start it immediately. I just... sat there and let everything soak in. All sorts of emotions were swirling in me at that moment. The life of the person most important to me was in jeopardy. Pain, sorrow, fury... but most damning of all was one question that refused to leave my mind the moment it appeared. Why? What kind of ruthless, heartless monster would harm someone like Judy? Down one avenue or another, I was going to find out.


	2. Mr and Mrs Hopps

_****_Zootopia and all subsequent characters_****_ _ ** ** _ ** _are respectively_** property of Disney.  
_ _NOTE: This story is rated Fiction-M for graphic violence, strong language, and mild suggestive themes.  
_** _ **Reader's Discretion is advised.**_** **  
**_========================================================================= _ **  
**_

 **Chapter II: Mr. and Mrs. Hopps**

 _ **Nick's POV:**_

I got to the train station and boarded the next train to Bunny Burrows, all the information still fresh in my mind. The train ride to Bunny Burrows was only about thirty to forty-five minutes, but with everything that'd happened in that past hour, it felt more like four straight hours. During said ride, I caught a quick nap, and immediately wished I hadn't. The dream I had was hauntingly vivid. I was blind-folded or something, but I remember hearing the sound of subway trains around me... before I could have heard anything else, I'd been awakened by the sound of the automated voice saying "Entering Bunny Burrows station. Please remain seated until the train has completely stopped and the doors open." I shook my head around a little to regain my alertness. When I got off the train, the sunlight was almost blinding, either because in Zootopia, a dense, packed city, there's less sun getting through, or my eyes were just re-adjusting, it was probably both. After walking another quarter-mile or so, I got to the Hopps' family farm, I saw Judy's younger brothers and sisters running around, having fun. Judy's parents were talking to one another, when one of Judy's younger brothers said, "Look, dad! It's mister Wilde!". Mr. Hopps turned, saw me, and had a very welcoming smile on his face as we walked up to one another. "Oh, hey Nick, how've you been doing these days?" "... I've been better..." I said solemnly. "Uh-oh... what's wrong?" Judy's mother asked. "Could we, uh, talk inside?" I asked. Judy's father nodded and turned to his kids and said, "Your mother and I are going inside for a little to talk to Mr. Wilde. Be safe, and don't go beyond here, okay?" "Okay!" they all answered back. While inside, I got a drink of water because I was thirsty after walking as long as I did. There was a long silence before Mr. Hopps spoke up again, "S-so... what did you want to tell us?", both of their faces now shown concern. "I didn't want her siblings troubled by what I'm about tell you." I started, then continued, "Judy's..." I paused. "She's what?" Mr. Hopps' voice sounded more concerned now. I drew a good, deep breath and spoke, "She was... shot. Judy's in a coma."

"Wha-... what?" both Mr. and Mrs. Hopps looked at me, troubled. I could tell by their faces, my words had shocked them hard. "How...? Why...?" Mrs. Hopps asked me, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I-... I wish I had an answer as to 'why and how'. Believe me, I want nothing more than to make the ones responsible brought to justice. As for what we do know, the mammal that called Z.E.S. said Judy had struggled up the subway stairs into Sahara Square. That same mammal gave her CPR when she had lost consciousness from blood loss. That was two and a half hours ago." Deafening silence followed after I had stopped talking, I could tell Mr. and Mrs. Hopps wanted to cry right then and there, but they held themselves together. "W-... will she be okay?" Mrs. Hopps asked. "I don't know. They don't know when she'll come out of the coma, and what she'll remember if she does." Judy's mother started crying, and Mr. Hopps followed suit. I found that I wanted to shed tears too, but I stopped myself with another deep breath and repeated what I said earlier. "I'm so sorry. I wish there was more to say, but we don't know who the person who shot Judy is, we barely know where to start. The most I can say is that you should go and visit Judy. She's at the Zootopia Central Hospital." "Mr. Hopps?" We hear a voice from the front door call out. Mr. Hopps looked to the door, then to me, I nodded. "C-... come in." Mr. Hopps replied, trying to stop himself crying more. I looked to the front door to see Gideon Grey, an old Fox friend of Judy's. "I was just here to deliver the seeds y'all wanted, y-your kids said you were inside talking to Nick and-" Gideon noticed Mrs. Hopps soft crying. "Nick... what happened?" He asked, confused and concerned by the somber expression I had. Swallowing more pain, holding more tears, I relayed to Gideon what I had just minutes earlier relayed to Judy's parents. Judy being hospitalized, the gunshot, every last thing that Z.P.D. knew then. I even ended up playing the recorded call for them to hear.

After the call finished, I could hear Gideon crying a little. "What..." He stammered. "What kind of... what kind of goddamn monster could do that to Judy?" he asked. "That's what I intend to find out." I felt bad for Judy's parents. So I stayed there (longer than I originally intended) to comfort them. When I looked back out at the window, the sun was setting. "I'd like to stay, but I have to go back to Zootopia now." "Okay." Mr. Hopps responded, he knew full well I wanted nothing more than to comfort them and Judy, but I wanted far more to make the heartless bastards responsible beg on their knees for the forgiveness they wouldn't get. I'm aware that's almost uncharacteristic of me, but my mind was heavily clouded with thoughts of worry and anger. Worry that Judy wouldn't recover, and anger at the ones with the blood on their hands. One way or another, I was going to get all of my questions answered. "Wait..." I heard Mr. Hopps call to me. "Yes?" I replied. "We we going to go visit Judy, and Gideon has a delivery in Zootopia, too. So... I was wondering if you'd want to hitch a ride with us?" he offered. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Hopps. But I think I'll go on my own. I'll see you there though." "Oh, okay..." I began the trek back to the train station, the sun going further and further behind the earth, draping the grass and crops in a beautiful orange, red, and purple. By the time I got back to Zootopia, it the sun had disappeared, and the central city was lit by the lights of the buildings and street lights. I found my car in the parking lot, and went back to the hospital to give Judy one more visit before I'd have to go back to the station. Dr. Mollar was still in Judy's room, looked like he was just finishing up. "Oh, welcome back Mr. Wilde." "Hey... I just wanted to visit Judy one more time before I go back to the station." "Okay then." he responded. I walked over to Judy, who was still comatose. "Hey..." I whispered to her. "If you can hear me, I want you to know I will find the person or people responsible. I promise..." I kissed her on her forehead and whispered, "I'll visit you as much as often as I can." With that, I had left and gone to my car, and drove off to the police station. On the way there, I started thinking about any people who would have a grudge or vendetta against Judy. Only a few names came to mind, names like Bellweather.

 _ **Chief Bogo's** **POV:**_

I was kind of surprised to see Officer Wilde come back to the station, "Officer Wilde?" "Sir?" "I... figured you would have wanted to spend more time with Officer Hopps at the hospital." "With all due respect sir... she's why I'm here. I want nothing more than for her to be fine, but I also want nothing more than to bring those responsible to meet their punishment." "I understand." I went back into my office and sat down, just, staring at the newspaper set to go out tomorrow, the newspaper that detailed what happened to Officer Hopps, as well as her current condition. Reluctantly, I started reading...

 ** _OFFICER HOSPITALIZED AFTER GUNSHOT THAT ALMOST KILLED HER_**

 _Yesterday at around 2:30 PM, decorated Zootopia officer Judy Hopps was air lifted to the Central Hospital after mysterious circumstances found her bleeding and near death in Sahara Square, where she was then spotted by a local who immediately called Z.E.S. and gave her on-sight resuscitation in hopes to help her regain consciousness. Mayor Lionheart had this to say on the matter, "This was unexpected, unprecedented, and horrific. It seems so surreal, you never expect your heroes to end up wounded, or god for bid, dead. All we can do for now is give her and her family and friends our deepest condolences." Zootopia Police Chief Bogo has yet to say anything on the matter, presumably out of respect for Judy's family and her spouse, Officer Nicholas Wilde. What happened to Judy is unclear, and the only thing we know is that she had been shot only once in her lower right abdomen and barely made it up the stairs of the Sahara Square subway station. The local who called Z.E.S., Christopher Lambert, had this to say "I didn't know who I was helping then. I just- I was walking, phone in hand, talking to a friend. Then I turned the corner and saw a figure stumbling out from the subway entrance. I immediately ran over to help. I couldn't have found her too long after she was shot. I told my friend I'd have to call him back I said, 'Hey, are you alright? What happened?'. Her response was meek, but audible, 'call Z.E.S., please help me.' Good god... I hope she's okay." As said before, we don't have much information on what happened to Officer Hopps, so if you know anything that may further the case, please contact the Zootopia Police Department._

 _Article by Anna Milik_

I kept reading and re-reading the article, each time only angering my further. Eventually, I crumpled the newspaper in one hand and slammed it on the desk as two officers in my office I had intended to talk to look on, rather caught off guard by my sudden snap. I then very calmly said "I don't care how. I want all on-duty officers to search high and low for clues." "S-sir... I'm not sure we can afford to do this. I mean, we don't even really have any leads yet-" The sudden boom of my voice stopped his. "I DON'T CARE WHAT WE HAVE! SOMEONE PUT ONE OF MY BEST OFFICERS IN A COMA!" I took a deep breath and sat back down. "As I said, I want all on-duty officers to work this case, are we clear?" "C-crystal sir." "Good." I didn't mean to lose it like that, but I was so frustrated by the fact that one of my best officers was now comatose and bedbound for an indefinite amount of time.


	3. Old Friends and New Enemies

**_Zootopia and all subsequent characters_** ** _ ** _are respectively_** property of Disney.  
_ _NOTE: This story is rated Fiction-M for graphic violence, strong language, and mild suggestive themes.  
_** _ **Reader's Discretion is advised.  
**_ =========================================================================

 **Chapter III: Old Friends and New Enemies**

 _ **Chief Bogo's POV:**_

In the days that followed, ZPD received many tips in the days that followed, most of them were either things we already knew or things that were inaccurate to confirmed reports. One detail kept appearing in each though, that someone, about the height of a bobcat or panther seemed to be 'watching' Officer Hopps, and boarded the train as she did. None of the reports ever mentioned the mammal's face, only that they were drab in a hoodie with their face covered. This is where the reports conflicted, some people said the mammal's hoodie was black, others said it was either dark navy blue, or dark grey. When asked about what kind of mammal the "hooded person" was, most witnesses who caught a small glimpse of this mammal's eyes said that the eyes resembled the eyes of a panther. Even though people were helping best they could, we were still barely an inch beyond the start line. All of that changed with one call I received from the Mayor himself. "Zootopia Police Department, Chief Bogo speaking." "Chief, I've talked back and forth with my colleagues about this, and I've made a decision that I feel is necessary, and is one I won't regret." "That is?" "Well, to give it some context. I'm sure you're as bothered about this as I am, about what happened to miss Hopps." "Of course, she's not just one of my best officers. She's also the spouse of another one of my best officers." "Officer Wilde, correct?" "Yes." "Alright. Well, I'm calling you to let you, and by extension, your officers know this: I, Mayor Lionheart, hereby grant the Zootopia Police Department free realm, to do as they see fit to bring the ones responsible for Officer Hopps' attempted murder to Justice." "Really?" "Yes, you and your officers have my official permission do whatever you need to do to find the ones responsible." "I understand." "Alright, I have to return to my business now, have a good day." "Ok, good-bye." We both hung up. Afterwards, I immediately picked up my radio and made contact with every on-duty officer. "Attention, this is Chief Bogo, if you aren't currently on the search for the mammal responsible for Officer Hopps' hospitalization, you are now. If you haven't been briefed on everything we know, report to the Central Zootopia Police Station. That is all, Chief Bogo, out."

 _ **Nick's POV:**_

I was definitely already on the case, but I still went to the central station to read up on the newly acquired witness accounts and anything else I may have missed. Afterwards, I set off to go and talk to a few friends I mentioned earlier. The first of those was Finnick, I was lucky enough to spot his van in Tundra Town. "Hey Finnick, been a while." "Nick? That really you?" "Yup." "How funny, the fox I used to con people with and run from the law, now lays down the law!" he laughed. "So anyways, how've you been?" he asked. "I've been alright." I replied. Finnick noticed the wedding band on my right hand. "So, you and Judy finally legit got together?" "Yup..." I said rather sombrely. "Shit. I heard about what happened to her. All of my sympathy, man. Every last drop." "I appreciate that, Finnick." I told him. "Anyways, what brought you to me?" he asked. "I was wondering if you knew anything about the assailant." "Hm..." he said. "Maybe. You got any info on him?" "As a matter of fact..." "As a matter of fact..." I went and grabbed the file from my car and returned to Finnick. "This," I started, "is every last bit of info we have up to this point." I handed him the file and he read it, silently mumbling the words to himself. "The guy they're describing, he sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Does he have a name?" He handed the folder back to me. "I'm sure he does," I replied, "but I doubt any of the witnesses would have been brave enough to ask him for it." "Yeah." "Alright, well, thanks anyways. If you find anything, well, you get the idea." "Yup." I went back to my car and thought about what he said, I didn't expect him to know, anything really, but it seems like he might know who shot Judy, if I can find out who he is, then I might also be able to find out why he did it.

A few minutes later, I was at the front gate of Mr. Big's place. Just looking at the frosty, cold fence flooded my mind with memories of when I was here with Judy two years back. That was the first time she ever saw Mr. Big. Yeah, his name isn't much of a representation of his physical appearance. He's actually really small. I'd say the name "Mr. Big" is more in reference to the far reach of his influence and power over his people. Honestly, I was kind of nervous, going back to Mr. Big. I mean, sure, I made amends with him, but I still felt pretty bad about, well... the reason he didn't like me before was because I sent him a rug... made from a skunk's butt. Prrrrobably wasn't the smartest plan to piss off a known and feared crime boss. Anyways, I opened the small fence gate and walked past the lot of limos. I remember when Judy and I were in one of those limos, looking for any kind of evidence to find Emmett Otterton. I could see and hear the memory play in my head. "Whoa... hey carrots? You might wanna see this." The back of the limo was violently scratched up. Anyways, before I realized it, I in front of a polar bear again. He just looked at me with a low mumble and snarled. "I'm just here to talk to Mr. Big. Okay, big guy?" He rolled his eyes and led me into a limo, as I sat down and looked at the little side shelf, it brought back more memories... "Wait a minute... fancy glasses, rat pack music- I know who owns this limo, we gotta go." I quickly told her. "We can't go, this is a crime scene!" Judy protested. I started opening the door. "Yeah well it's gonna be an even bigger one when-" Then we'd been caught by Mr. Big's guards. Before I realized it, the limo had stopped, and I was now on my way to go see Mr. Big. I was escorted through the front door where another polar bear guard walked me to Mr. Big's quarters. There I waited for what seemed like half an hour, until, finally... Mr. Big arrived. Just like normal, the biggest of the polar bear guards walked in and placed Mr. Big (in his chair) down on the desk.

"Ah, Nick." He said, his voice, still as highish-pitched as it was before, but was now a little raspy. He held out his paw that had his ring on it. To show respect (as always) I kissed the ring. "This is a welcome, and pleasant surprise. I heard the news about miss Hopps. You have my deepest condolences, my friend. I have arranged for a bouquet of my finest roses to be sent to her hospital room." "Gosh, ah, thanks." "It is the least I can do, for the godmother of my granddaughter." "And my wife." "Ah, yes. How could I forget... You and Judy have been married how long now?" "Uhm... well, only about... half a month now, I think?" I said. "So what can I do to aid in the capture of the one or ones responsible?" "Uh... well, I was wondering if you could help me figured out who the shooter is." "I assume the folder you have is all the material that ZPD has thus far to work off of?" "Yes, that's correct." A polar bear took the folder and opened it for Mr. Big to read, he put on a pair of small reading glasses and started reading. Two minutes later, he signaled a guard to close the folder and hand it back to me. "The descriptions the mammal who shot Judy in these files, how they seemed to be 'following' her from a distance. It seems that this mammal, whoever they are. They aren't just a random mammal, they're a trained killer." "Trained killer? Like a hitman?" "Precisely. Think about it, Nick. This mammal made sure his face was hidden, so it would be harder to catch him, and therefore, harder to find out who placed the hit." "Yeah. So, where do I go from here?" "Hm..." Mr. Big gave it some thought. "Make a list of people... who potentially hold grudges against either yourself or Judy. One of those people is likely responsible for the act, or at least an accessory to it. Work your way through the list slowly." "Good idea." I complimented. "But... I don't even really know where to start..." "Give it time. Names that anger you, names that disturb you, names... that disgust you, will come to mind. Those will be the ones that likely hold the answers to your questions." He said as he let out a bit of cough. "You alright?" I asked. "Just... feeling a little sick is all." Huh, sick my ass. Mr. Big might've been fearsome, but he was lousy as hell at lying. "You sure you're 'sick'?" I asked him, he sighed and responded, "I'll be frank, I feel as though my time here is dwindling. Even then, my health should not be the focus of your concern." "It's not, it's just I... I was just wondering." "Nicholas, it's unlike you to worry about others." "I guess Judy influences more of my life than I thought." I chuckled. "Quite..." he coughed. "Well... I better get going, I suppose." "Wait, before you go." He said as he signaled a guard walk to me and hand me a small box. "What's this?" I asked. "This was supposed to be a small gift from me for yours and Judy's wedding ceremony. Consider it a token of my seldom seen appreciation." He explained. I was about to open the box until he said, "Don't open it... yet." "Huh?" "When Judy is awake and well, that is when you should open it." "Oh... o-okay." I said. "Well... thanks." "Think nothing of it. All I'll say is that what I have given you... is the same thing my grandmama gave me at my wedding." "Oh... cool." "Now, have a good day, Nick. And once more, I wish you and Judy well." Mr. Big said, giving a small grin. "Thanks, I guess I'll be headin' now." "Farewell, Nick." He coughed once more.

Again I was in the limo, heading back to the limo lot and to my car. Even after the limo had stopped, I sat there just staring at the box. The box was mostly soft, dark purple velvet, with brass and copper highlights. Even though I couldn't open the box yet, it sure as hell was intriguing. I wondered why Mr. Big had given me this box. It was unlike him, being so kind to someone like me. Though, he said it was supposed to be a wedding gift to Judy and I. As curious as I was about the contents of the box, I still had a job to do. Painstakingly, I got out of the limo and walked back to my car. On the way back to the central station, I couldn't help but imagine the scene of Judy being shot. Just thinking about a bullet tearing through her body, her beautiful, sweet, cute body was enough to make me stop at a convenience store (still in Tundra Town) and get a bottle of water. Bottle in hand, I perched myself against the wall outside, feeling the wind gently flow past my face. Then... something caught my eye. A hooded mammal walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street that fit all the witness accounts, but, the hoodie they were wearing was maroon or burgundy. "ZPD," I presented my badge. "I'd like to ask you a few-" The mammal had started running before I finished. "Hey! Stop!" I shouted, running after them. This mammal was fast on their feet and had incredible reflexes, easily jumping over and dodging obstacles. I'd eventually chased him into a dead-end alley. Comparable to a bolt of lightning in speed, the mammal quickly turned and gave me a strong kick in the chest. Strong enough to knock me on my ass and stun me for a moment. Then, the mammal knelt to look at me, and whispered something to me. "Go home. You don't know half of what you're getting into. If I were you, I'd quit and stay bedside with miss Hopps." After saying that, I'd watched how the mammal expertly jumped from a tall dumpster and wall-bounced to reach a high fire escape that they proceeded to climb all the way up. "Wait...!" I said, trying to gather my breath, having had the wind knocked out of me. The mammal was already gone by the time I'd mustered enough energy and air to say anything. "Shit! Damn it...!" I said, slamming my hand on the ground. "ZPD, Tundra Town district." I heard a voice call out. I looked up and saw the officer, it was an ocelot, he was slightly taller than Judy. "You alright, sir?" "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied. He looked at me closer and realized something, "You're Officer Hopps' husband, uh, Officer Wilde, right?" "Yeah." "I... I heard about what happened. Is she still in a coma?" "Unfortunately. Nobody's sure when she'll wake up, or if she even will." I explained. "Well, with every on-duty cop assigned to the case. It shouldn't be too long before they find the guy, right?" "Yeah, I guess that's true." "Anyways, I, uh, saw that whole... thing that happened. Who was that just now?" He asked. "Whoever he was, he's long gone now." "Well... would you like a ride back to your cruiser?" "Sure," I said. "that'd be nice." I got to my feet and we walked to his car. "Damn..." I said, "I ran further than I thought." "Yeah, whoever you were chasing after, they sure as hell were fast." "Yeah." I replied. "So..." he started. "Do you think that Judy-" "Uhm." "Oh, sorry. Officer Hopps, being shot has any relation to the deaths of six other officers from the past twenty-four years?" "What? There were other officers that were killed?" "Yeah, it was a big thing that happened... you weren't a cop then, were you?" "I've only been a cop two years. Even before that, I've lived in Zootopia pretty much all my life, and I never heard anything about that." I told him. "Well, I guess they never publicized the news... Well, alright." He explained everything. "Six years ago, starting on February 14th with the murder of Officer Jane Osiris, several well-known, and well-respected officers disappear only to turn up that they were killed. There was Officer Jane Osiris, Lieutenant Officer Richard LePorde, Deputy Anna Zebar, Second Lieutenant Jeremiah Codik, Officer Mac Trin, and of course, Chief Kenneth Dubois-Lincoln." "Okay, and what do their deaths have to do with Judy almost dying?" "Like I said before, all six of those names I mentioned belonged to well-known people." "Why were they killed?" "To this day, nobody's sure. 'Cause nobody's been charged with the crimes." He explained. "Well, shit." I said, "Maybe the guy who shot Judy is the same guy responsible for those other murders?" I asked. "Maybe." He replied. "But we won't know 'till we catch the guy." "Yeah." The rest of the ride was silent. "There." I said, the car stopped. "Thanks for the ride, and the info." I said. "No problem." He responded as he drove off. I fished my key out of my pocket, started my cruiser up, and went to central station as intended.

After getting my errands at the station done, I went to visit Judy again in the hospital. Even though she wasn't awake yet, I still sat there and told her about my day. "Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. It's just... a lot happened today. I chased someone in Tundra Town and got kicked square in the chest." I paused and held back some tears. "Unfortunately I-... we... we still haven't found much. But I promise, Judy. For you, for me, for your family, for mine, and for the rest of our fellow policemen. We'll find them. We'll win." I smiled. I stayed with her for four hours that day. "Mr. Wilde?" Dr. Mollar said. "Okay. Well, guess I gotta go. See you later, Judy." I kissed her forehead again, and walked out. It felt like a long drive back to the apartment, when I got there, I felt so tired. I smelled my underarms, "Ogh... I guess a shower wouldn't hurt." I said to myself. One, rather calming, shower later, I sat infront of the TV, flipping through channels. "Sports, Cartoons, Movies, Operas, News? No, now... anything but the news." I eventually found a re-run of one of my favorite cartoons. It was about a cat and mouse constantly outwitting each other, timeless classic. And although I didn't intend it... I fell asleep on the couch.

======= **Author's Notes** ========

Hey guys, just... uh... just wanna let you know that after this chapter, you might not see another for a few months. I'll be working to put money in my pocket and bread on the table. I know, I really don't wanna bum you guys out like that, and I still want to be able to make chapters regularly, but I dunno. In any case, stay tuned for Chapter 4!


	4. Under the Weather

**_Zootopia and all subsequent characters_** ** _ ** _are respectively_** property of Disney.  
_ _NOTE: This story is rated Fiction-M for graphic violence, strong language, and mild suggestive themes.  
_** _ **Reader's Discretion is advised.  
**_ =========================================================================

 **Chapter IV: Under the Weather**

 _ **Nick's POV:**_

It'd been a month and a half since Judy had been hospitalized, and she still had yet to wake up. My daily routine became very erratic, I'd spend some nights staying up late, and sleep in early the others. When I wasn't sleeping or eating, I was working the case. Looking through every file we had over and over, memorizing details. This hell started wearing on me heavily to the point where I woke up one day feeling like absolute shit. Reluctantly, I had to call in sick. I sat in front of the TV, watching some old cartoons, listening to the music on the music channels, and also watching a bit of news. At first, being sick annoyed me, because I wanted to keep working the case, but I also knew I shouldn't overwork myself. Being at home, drinking some hot black tea and having some soup gave me time to make a list like Mr. Big said. Well... I tried anyways. Like I said before, there wasn't really ANYONE I could think of who'd want Judy gone. Well, there is one... In the days that followed, I recovered via staying warm and getting good sleep. On my way to the station, I picked up a cup of my favorite coffee. At the station, I though hard as I could to drum up even one person that hates Judy, until it hit me. I thought about two years ago, when Judy and I were more... friends because of circumstance. There were plenty of people who wanted to kill Judy, but one name stood much higher and more prominently over the rest... Dawn Bellweather, former Assistant Mayor to Mayor Lionheart. Her name alone disgusted me, thinking about her. She was willing to let Judy die for her plan, you know, the nighthowler thing, to succeed. I went to Chief Bogo's office and asked him if I could go talk to her. "Chief Bogo?" "Yes, Officer Wilde?" "I'd like permission to go to the Zootopia prison and consult an old enemy of ours." "Who might that be?" He asked. I paused for a moment, then answered. "Dawn Bellweather." "Why?" "I think she may know something about the bastard who shot Judy." "How can you be sure?" "It's a hunch, really." "Hm..." Bogo gave it some thought before responding. "Very well. You can go to the Zootopia prison, call them ahead of time, I'm sure you know how they are."

After calling ahead, I went on my way to the prison where Bellweather was. The guard at the front desk, a musky, old dog, greeted me. "Evenin'. I reckon you're the one who called ahead about Bellweather?" "Yes sir." I responded. "Alright. Go wait at window 4, she'll be there shortly." he said. I went to the window as specified and waited. A minute passed, then two, then, I saw the familiar figure walk in from a darker hallway. Strange, even though she was a cold-to-the-core bitch, it didn't make her less attractive. She was surprised to see me. We both grabbed a phone and the conversation started. "Well, well... Officer Nicholas Wilde. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She said distastefully. "I heard about Judy a while ago. How she was almost killed. Heh, if it was me, I'd have made sure she was dead." "I didn't come here to mock you. I came because I have questions. Questions I think you can answer." I told her straightforward. "Oh really?" she said. "Yes." I replied. "Tell me, why should I help you? Hell, if anything, I'd rather you and Judy die. It'd make no difference. Lest we forget you tore apart my plan two years ago." "Let's get this straight right now. Judy and I didn't screw you over, you screwed yourself over. You had a nice, high up job in town hall, and you threw it away because of some damn delusion." I retorted. "Whatever." she replied. "Now then... tell me what you know about who shot Judy." "What's in it for me, Wilde? You think you can get me out on parole after what I died?" "If you don't tell me what you know, it carries the potential of putting more people at risk. More people could die." "Good, let 'em kill one another. Why the hell is this my problem again?" "It's your problem because you're the only person I can think of that hates Judy enough to want her dead. I don't think you're directly involved, but I think you have a connection to the ones that are." I told her. My words were met with silence from her. I think she knew what I said was accurate, and she didn't admit it at first. "So tell me, do you know anyone who could be the mammal that shot Judy? Anyone at all?" Still nothing. "Fine, if you're going to waste my time, I'll go back to the station. One way or another, I'll find out who has the blood on their hands." I was about to get up when she'd said something. "storm..." "What?" I said, picking the phone back up. "The one who shot Judy. His name is Alex Storm. He's a professional assassin, rarely seen, never ever been caught. Business with him is simple, pay him well, give him a target and he'll do it, no questions asked." She explained. "How can I trust that what you're saying is true?" I asked her. "Because-" she looked around frantically. "The guy who he takes orders from... is the same guy I took my orders from." "Who? Not Mayor Lionheart!" "No, idiot! Someone far more powerful, far more influential, far more feared... That's all I can say. He probably knows about this conversation. I-I've said too much." She told me, she was now visibly afraid. "What do you mean?" "J-just look for Alex Storm." she said before hanging up. "Bellweather!" Too late, she'd already walked away. "God damn it!" I slammed the phone back on the hook. "You alright, sir?" A familiar voice said. It was that officer from Tundra Town that helped me. "I'm fine." I said, "I gotta go back to the station."

Bellweather shed some new light on the case, I now had a name to look for. I couldn't get the name out of my head after she'd said it. Also, according to herself, the Nighthowler incident was actually an idea passed down to her from a higher up. I wasn't sure who the higher up was, but it was only a matter of time before I found out. The other thing that bothered me is that near the end, when she told me about Alex and the higher power, she was frantic, looking around as if someone in the prison was going to kill her. It worried me, it really did. All that new information in mind, I went back to the station to go tell Bogo. "So you say that Judy being shot was a failed hit?" "According to Bellweather it was. She gave a name, too." "What was the name?" "Alex Storm." "How can we trust her?" "She's the only source we have at the moment. I can't confirm or deny that she was telling me the truth." "So you expect the case to further based on questionable information?" He asked me. "I hate it just as much as you, sir. If not more." "We can't further the case unless we have confirmed information." "She's still at the prison, if you want me to. I can arrange to have her brought here for questioning." "What information could we get from a delusional, insane person?" "Well okay, she might be a bit delusional. But something bothered me about her last words before she was taken back to her cell." "What's that?" "She was frantic, and afraid. Like somebody was ready to jump from the woodwork and stab her. Remember, I know who she is. Her usual personality is quite smug and fearless." I said. Chief Bogo gave it good thought. "Given the circumstances, what with you knowing Bellweather, I'll include the information on the case." "Thanks." I replied. "I guess I'll be heading back to my desk now." "Wait... Officer Wilde." "Yes, sir?" "As your superior, I'm concerned about your personal well-being." "Sir?" "I understand full-well, you want to help Judy by finding those responsible. I know. Which is why I'm going to ask you to take a few days off. For your own good." "B-but sir, Judy... I care more about her than-" "I undstand that, Officer Wilde. But you have to understand where I'm coming from, too." Bogo explained. I took a deep breath. "No no... I understand. I've been a bit obsessed with this case. I just... care immensely about Judy. Maybe it is better that I spend time away from the case. Time with her." I said, holding back tears.

On my way to go visit Judy in the hospital, I felt pretty hungry. So I went home and made some tomato soup, complete with soup crackers. After my quick meal, I went on to the hospital to visit Judy. Dr. Mollar was just exiting her room when I got there. "Oh, hello Nick!" "Hey doc." "I suppose you wanted to visit Judy?" "Yeah." "Oh, well... uhm, I'm on my break now. I'll be back in, oh, probably thirty minutes or so. That alright?" "Yeah, I guess I can always come back later." "Okay, well, I'll see you later, then!" "Yup, see ya, doc." Dr. Mollar and I walked our separate ways. I was a little bitter, but I relaxed when I got to my car. I mean, Dr. Mollar was apparently one of the best docs in Zootopia. Who better to make sure Judy would be fine? Anyways, to clear my mind, I drove around Zootopia a bit, I went to Sahara District, Rain Forest District, and finally Tundra Town. While in Tundra Town, I stopped at a convenience store and picked up a granola bar and a small bottle of lemon-lime soda. Not everyday I get a soda, but for some reason I was in the mood for it. After that, I went back to the central city and went home, I climbed the steps up to the apartment, opened the door, and slumped on the couch with some hot chocolate. Did I per chance mention it was freezing outside? 'Cause it was. Record colds, temperature dropping into single digits at times. Anyhoo, I watched a couple of old-but-gold movies that came on, and eventually had a nap on the couch. My dream was actually kind of pleasant. I dreamt that I was walking to Judy's room in the hospital, and as I was about to open the door, the handle started to turn and when the door opened... I saw Judy. I was overjoyed and almost cried with happiness that she was awake. I hugged her and kissed her... then I woke up and realized I was kissing a pillow. "Ugh, blech...!" I mumbled. Feeling sluggish, I went into the kitchen and made some fresh coffee. While in the kitchen, I looked out the window to see how long I napped for. The sun was further down the sky now than it was before, casting longer shadows on everything. Unintended, but not altogether unpleasant. I went back to the living room, coffee in hand, and sat back down. Watching a little more TV. There was a sc-fi thriller about a frightening creature attacking a space station and killing anyone in sight, an anime about two kids who love one another, but neither had told the other their true feelings. Next channel, there was a crime\mystery drama show, the episode summary was eerily similar to what was happening now, An old friend of the cop's comes to visit, when the cop ends up hospitalized for unsolved reasons. I shuddered when I saw that. Y'know, how they do a quick recap on the events of the prior episode. Anyways, now the sun was gone, and Zootopia was mostly dark, save for the street lights and store signs of course. I felt pretty tired by this point, so I brushed my teethed and climbed into bed. Though laying down, I couldn't sleep. Something was bothering me... I didn't know what. I eventually fell asleep, though I was awoken by my phone's ringing. I checked the time, ten forty-five. "Ah... damn it..." I yawned, getting up and walking to the bathroom to wash my face. Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, grabbed my keys, and drove around a bit. I was so tired that I was a little nervous I'd fall asleep at the wheel. Thankfully I didn't, and if anything, what I saw while driving only woke me up further. I saw dozens of police cars gathered around the Zootopia prison. lights flashing and everything, and I saw Bogo there too. So I stopped to go ask him what happened. "Officer Wilde? What are you doing here?" he asked. "Kind of hard to see that many police lights gathered in one area and not wonder what happened." I replied. He took a moment to think before responding. "Well... it seems you may have been onto something." "Don't tell me..." I said. "Yes..." He paused. "Bellweather is dead."

=======Author's Notes========  
On a roll! Well, sort of... now if only I could work this hard on The History of Nokinoki.  
Well, in the meantime, Merry Christmas!


	5. The Scout in Red

_**Zootopia and all subsequent characters**_ _ ** ** _are respectively_** property of Disney.**_  
 _ **NOTE: This story is rated Fiction-M for depictions of violence, strong language, and mild suggestive themes.**_  
 _ **Reader's Discretion is advised.**_  
=========================================================================

 **Chapter V: The Scout in Red**

 _ **Nick's POV:**_

I couldn't believe it was true, but there I was, standing and staring at Bellweather's limp and lifeless corpse dangling from a makeshift noose that was attached to an exposed pipe on the ceiling. "So what happened?" I asked. "Apparently a guard working the nightshift heard some russle from her cage, but by the time he got there, she was already dead." Chief Bogo explained. "Yeah, according to what he told me, he heard what sounded like something metallic and heavy, like a pipe, falling and echoing. I was on my way home when the discovery was made, but he must've tried calling me as soon as it happened 'cause I got home, and I saw the message on my personal phone." The head guard added. Something was bothering me about this whole scenario. I couldn't place what it was until I realized something interesting about Bellweather, how she was hung. "Something doesn't seem right." I said. "Whad'ja mean?" one of the officers asked. "Well, I told Chief Bogo this already. Earlier, I came here to talk to Bellweather, because I was under the impression she had answers to some of my questions. Namely, who shot Judy. The answers she gave only rose more questions." "What'd she answer with?" "Well, she said the name of Judy's assailant is Alex Storm. She also told me a bit about 'Alex Storm'. How he's apparently a professional assassin for the underbelly of Zootopia. I tried to ask her more... but she became panicked and afraid, like somebody wanted to silence her for saying what she said. She was smug and rude as hell at first, but when she said 'Alex Storm', she immediately became afraid... but of what or whom, I'm not sure." "That Alex Storm character, maybe?" "Maybe. Look, it's not my place to ask for these kind of things, but could we get an autopsy done on Bellweather?" "We could..." Bogo replied. "and I think we should. I have more than enough reason to believe that what you're saying is true, Officer Wilde. Also," Bogo turned to the head security officer, "I want all records, video and written, of everyone who was in this building in the past six hours." I watched as Bellweather's body was taken down from the ceiling and zipped into a small body bag. The expression on Bellweather's face was nothing short of disturbing. Her eyes were fixed open and teeth were missing from her mouth. "This case just keeps getting deeper and deeper. There's a culprit responsible for this, sure... but I feel like there's other forces at work too." I sigh. "We'll solve it in due time." Bogo said.

When I got home, I didn't even take off my officer uniform. I was so tired and worn from everything that I barely got my badge off before I flopped into bed and immediately fell asleep. That following morning, I woke up, had my breakfast, and was about to head out the door, when I realized something... that day two months ago was when Judy was hospitalized. God, had that much time already passed? Part of me really wanted to cry, realizing how much time had passed and Judy was still comatose, but the rest of me knew that I still had a job to do. Shit, were it up to me, I'd have spent every day and night at Judy's side, but the fact is, it wasn't my choice. I decided to visit Judy since I didn't get the chance to in the night before. Dr. Mollar was even surprised that I came by to visit. "Hey Judy, it's me. Y'know, Nick." I chuckled. "I just want to let you know, the case has progress a lot. I uh... I talked to Bellweather yesterday. Yeah, THAT Bellweather. It took a bit of pushing her about, but she eventually told me quite a bit about who shot you. She said the person's name is Alex Storm. Anyways, I woke up late last night, feeling as though something wasn't right. Next thing I remember, I was at the Zootopia prison, looking at Bellweather's hung, lifeless body. Yeah... someone killed her. I'm betting high that it could be Alex, I dunno why, but it seems fitting. Well... I can't spend too much time, afterall, I still have to go to work." I said, kissing her forehead. "See you later, mon cher amour..." With that, I went on my way to work.

 _ **Chief Bogo's POV:**_

I didn't get very good sleep last night, so instinctively when I woke up, I got a cup of coffee for myself. Now I was sitting at my desk, reading the newspaper, there another article written about Officer Hopps. Curiously, yet reluctantly, I read up...

 ** _Officer Hopps still hospitalized from gunshot wound 2 months prior_**

 _Two months ago today, Captain Officer Judy Hopps was air-lifted to Zootopia Central Hospital after being shot by an unknown assailant in the Sahara Square subway station. All that is known about the mysterious assailant 'Alex Storm' are his apparel, being drab in dark colors, hiding any indication of what kind of mammal 'he' is; and his possible connection to Zootopia's organized crime. Unfortunately, Officer Hopps still has yet to awaken from the coma she has been in since she was first brought to the hospital. Cont'd on page 7  
_

My reading the paper was stopped when my phone rang, without thinking, I picked it up. "ZPD, Chief Bogo speaking." I said. "Yo, Chief." It was Grun Wolfe, the weapons expert that the bullet sample had been sent to. "Ah, Grun, have you found anything out about the bullet?" "I sure have, it's a nine-millimeter bullet... and other than that, I don't know anything about it." "Come again?" "You know weapons and their projectiles are my forte, this is why I took so long to get back to you. From a laws & regulation standpoint, even from the standpoint of a black market gunsmith, this bullet doesn't exist." "What exactly do you mean when you say it doesn't exist?" "I searched high and low literally EVERYWHERE. I consulted other weapons experts, heck, I even reached out to some of my friends who're professional black market gunsmiths... and even THEY didn't know where this bullet came from or who made it." "Hm..." "And that's when the realization set in. After spending day & night for the past two months trying to find where this bullet came from, this is my hypothesis: If numerous weapons experts and black market gunsmiths can't figure out where this bullet came from, then, that means the bullet was custom machined in total secrecy for that job and that job alone." Custom machined, so Officer Wilde's claims were correct, it was a professional hit. "But it doesn't even stop there, chief." he spoke up. "?" "I would have loved to study the bullet for you a lot longer, but it was taken." "Someone stole it!?" "Not exactly..." "What do you mean by 'not exactly'?" "See, this was another reason it took a while to get back to you. I wasn't sure how the hell I was supposed to say this at all. Two days ago while I was studying the bullet, the scouts paid me a visit." "THE scouts?" "We both know I mean agents of the Z.S.D., chief." "Yes, but why?" "Huh?" "Why did they take it? What business did they have with evidence linked to an important police case?" "Your guess is as good as mine. I tried asking them that same question. They refused to say anything at all. I told them you'd be peeved to hear that evidence was confiscated by an upper part of the government. Their response? 'The Zootopia Police Department has no authority over the scouts.' So they got the bullet, and left just as fast as they came." Grun explained. "Great, just great." I sighed loudly. "I'm sorry; there was nothing under law I could have done, chief. Believe me, I wanted knock that pretty boy's teeth clean out of his mouth, but on the other hand, I like my head firmly attached to the rest of my body." "You did what you could, Grun. I can't fault you on that." I told him. "So what happens now?" "I'm not sure, but perhaps I should try and contact the scouts." "Good luck with that, chief. Well, I guess I better be headin' now. I don't wanna take anymore of your time." "Thank you for your help, Grun. Have a good day."

 _ **Nick's POV:**_

After sitting and watching all of the recorded footage with Bogo several times over, and finding not a single thing out of the ordinary at all, we split. He stayed at his office, and I went on break. Damn, if the one who killed Bellweather was there during those times, they blended in perfectly. During my time on break, I remembered something that Tundra Town cop told me, about the six officers who were killed. I decided to look it up, to learn more about it. Just like that officer had told me, six names, twenty-four years ago, all high-ranking or otherwise respected officers of the ZPD, all dead... but there was a detail I noticed in the file, one that he either forgot, or left out. The bullets recovered from the dead officers were unidentifiable... like the one that shot Judy! This revelation now in hand I went to Chief Bogo's office. "Chief Bogo, I got something you'll want to see." I told him. "What is it?" "Judy's case is linked to a similar cold case six years ago." "Hm?" "I did some digging through the police records, there was a case about six well respected officers mysteriously ending up dead. The one detail in common with all of them? The bullet found in the victims couldn't be identified. I'm willing to bet the bullet that was used on Judy is either the same or similar kind of bullet that killed the other six." I explained. Bogo sighed, "It's certainly possible. But even if we wanted to analyze the bullets, we couldn't." "Why?" "The bullets, Judy's included, were confiscated by the Z.S.D." "Z.S.D.?" "The Zootopia Scouts Division." "Why'd they confiscate them?" "They wouldn't say anything other than 'It's classified'." Bogo explained. "So they can just waltz in here and take evidence pertaining to our most important case?" "Unfortunately." "God... damn it." I sighed, rather pissed off. I immediately cooled off. "So, what should I do now?" I asked. Bogo thought about it, then said. "There was a recent string of reports coming from Tundra Town about people feeling like they're being watched. Patrol the streets of Tundra Town, and if you find this individual, apprehend them." "You think it could be that Alex Storm character?" "Possibly, now go." "Yes sir." I got my keys and flashlight (as I thought I'd be checking till dark) from my desk, hopped into my cruiser, and went on my way to Tundra Town. The first two hours of the patrol was nothing to write home about. No hooded figures or anything. I figured "Whatever, maybe people still a bit on edge because of the only known description of Judy's assailant, that they were wearing a dark colored hood." Then... I saw him, the hooded figure again, but wait... there were TWO of them! I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was seeing correctly, and I was. One was running after the other. "Hey!" I shouted as I got out of my cruiser. I ran after the one I could see, they were wearing the same burgundy-colored hood as the one I'd seen before. God damn, both of them were fast runners, I barely kept up with them. I chased them down several blocks, and we'd eventually gone back into central city. I'd eventually chased them to an alley, I guess the red hooded one was getting tired because they started to slow a little, just enough that I'd taken the chance to tackle them to the ground. "Sorry," the black hooded mammal said, "I'd like to stay and chat, but I have more work to attend to." With that, the figure ran off towards the other end of the alley. "No, no! Jack!" At the moment I heard the, still tackled, red hooded mammal speak, I realized he was actually a 'she'. She kicked me off and stumbled to her feet, running in the direction the other mammal disappeared in. She looked around, I guess she didn't see the black hooded mammal, because she walked back to the alley way I was at, softly panting. "Son of a.. bitch!" she said angrily, gritting her teeth as she punched the wall. "Who's Jack?" I asked, noticing I was panting aswell.

At that moment, I realized I screwed up. "RRRRAAARGRH!" She screamed as she easily hurled a full trash barrel at me with one hand. I just barely dodged the trash barrel, only to be violently slammed against the wall by her. Her eyes flared with anger as she slammed me against a wall and pinned me. "You... you IDIOT! What the hell were you thinking!?" "Whoa, calm down!" "Calm down? You just let my target escape! You have a lot of nerve intervening with my mission, Officer Wilde." She said. "Target? Mission? What the hell are you talking about? You have more explanation due than I!" I scowled. She calmed down and said, "I don't think you understand the weight of what you just did. You could face prison time, even lose your job for your little fuck up." "I still don't follow, are you with the Z.B.I. or something?" "No." "Then who!?" "Just... listen." She calmed down. "It isn't safe for me to talk out in the open like this." "So?" "There's an abandoned building about a quarter-mile from here that I use as a safehouse. We can finish this 'talk' there." she explained. "Right, because I'd be willing to follow you after what you just did." "You want to help your wife... right? Then follow me." I gave it some thought. Reluctantly, I said, "Fine, but no tricks, okay?" "No tricks." She said. So I followed her through the back alleys of the central city and we eventually made it to the building she described. She signaled for me to turn around while she punched in something on a keypad. I heard her open the door. "Come in, quick." She said. I went in, and the interior of the building was much better kept than the exterior. The floor, walls, and ceiling were cleaned as well as could be, but still showed signs of age. There was a table with a fluorescent light above it. Adjacent to the table was a counter top with a small refrigerator on it. The most eye catching thing was what was on the table, a device that looked like something could dock onto it. "This is my home away from home. Well, one of many, to be a little more accurate." She explained. "First and foremost, who are you, and why are you dressed similar to 'Alex Storm'?" I asked. She gave it thought, then sighed "I guess it's only fair...". She removed her cloth face cover and pulled down her hood. She was an ocelot, with similar markings to the tundra town cop, but her fur was slightly darker, and much more bushy, like a bobcat's. She looked at me sternly before saying, "My name is Kyla Osiris, I'm a Vagrant Scout for the Z.S.D." She said. "Osiris? Are you the daughter of Jane Osiris?" I asked. Her eyes narrowed as she replied, "How do you know my mother?" "She's of some importance to my case." There was silence after I said that, so I changed subjects slightly. "You said you're from the Z.S.D.? I heard from my boss that your people confiscated very valuable, very important evidence from us." "Nothing I've heard. As a Vagrant Scout, or 'wanderer' as some call us, I hardly spend any time inside. Save for eating, sleeping, and receiving my new orders, of course." The way she described it sounded rough and stressful. "You were the one I chased in Tundra Town, right?" "Yeah." She nodded. "One thing that bothered me about our prior encounter is that you knew who I was and even referred to Judy by name. How much do you know about Judy and I?" I asked. "Enough."

"Why?" "I've been observing the two of you as part of my mission." She told me. "What does said mission entail?" "I can't tell you, that's classified." "Like hell it is!" "... It IS." "Fine, then tell me what you know about Alex Storm." I think I caught her off guard a little. "Beg your pardon?" "The figure you called 'Jack' is Alex Storm, he's the reason my wife has been in a coma the past two months. So why were you chasing him? Or is that also classified?" No answer. "Kyla?" "Huh?" "Are you... alright?" "It's nothing, I'm fine." she sighed, shaking her head. "Also, don't call me Kyla. For now, just refer to me as Agent Osiris." "Okay, fair enough, I suppose." I replied. "Now was that or was that not Alex Storm you were chasing?" "What if it was?" "If it was, I feel I have more than enough right to know." I told her. "Yes, it was Alex Storm. I was chasing him because he was my target. My objective..." She paused like she realized something. "One moment." she said, pressing a button on the radio hidden in her jacket. "Hey Jim... Yeah, it's me, Kyla... I saw him today... No, no. I didn't catch him, not this time... There was intervention from a third-party. Name? Officer Nicholas Wilde of the Zootopia Police Department... Yeah, I know... Huh? Another? ... Well... I guess that's my problem too... Alright, talk to you later... over." She finished, sighing and propping herself against a wall. "What was that?" I asked. "My boss." She answered. "What'd he say?" I inquired. "Nothing of concern to you." She said. "How do you know that?" "What do you want from me? All knowledge in the fucking universe? I told you everything I could, there's nothing more I can do for you now. Why'd you stop me back there, anyway?" She was pretty angry now. I sighed and responded. "I don't know, but I think, somehow you might be able to help me." "How so, fox?" "Like I said, I'm not sure, but I know you can." "Maybe, but not now." she said, putting her hood and face cloth back on. "I have to get back out there, which means YOU have to go." "Okay." I said. We both walked outside and she looked around. "Z.P.D.'s central station is about a mile that way. The direction we came from is about two and a half miles that way." She said, pointing to the two directions. "See you later, officer." she said. After watching her disappear around a corner, I made the long trek back to Tundra Town to find my cruiser. I found my cruiser and saw my phone sitting on the seat. I checked to see if I'd missed any calls, while doing so, I glanced at the time, two hours had passed in the time I was away, and there were two calls from Chief Bogo I missed. I decided to call him back while on the way to the Central City. "Chief?" "Officer Wilde, where have you been the past two hours?" "Sorry, I saw the missed calls when I got back to my cruiser-" "Got BACK to it, implying you left it, that you abandoned your post?" "With what happened, I wouldn't call it 'abandoning'." "What happened?" He said sternly. I sighed and said, "A lot, I'll tell you when I get there."

Bogo was a bit fumed that I left my post, until I explained why. "So you say there is not one, but TWO hooded mammals?" "Yes, but the one I caught up to seems to be on our side." "'seems to be'?" "At the very least, she's chasing the same person we are, Alex Storm." "Who is this other figure?" "She said her name was Kyla Osiris, and that she's a Wandering Scout for the Z.S.D." "A Wandering Scout?" "From what she said, and what I can guess, wandering scouts are always on the move, barely stopping for anything except receiving their next orders." I explained. I could tell Bogo was pretty skeptical of my words. "How do you know she's actually part of the Z.S.D.?" "I don't, but... surely there's a way to authenticate that kind of information, right?" "Unfortunately, the Z.S.D. is very secretive in the work it does, only select few people outside the division, such as yourself, ever learn a name from within the Z.S.D." "So you're saying that the identity of their scouts is kept with them?" "Yes, which sparks an interesting question. Why did she tell you who she was, Officer Wilde?" Bogo asked. I sighed and responded, "I'm not sure, maybe because she knows I'm someone she can trust to tell information to." "How would she know that?" "Well, the first time I encountered her was when I chased her alone across Tundra Town. When she kicked me down, she identified me and Judy by name. When I asked her how much she knew and why, her answers were 'I've been watching you closely the past two months' and 'I can't tell you, that's classified'." "How quaint." "I'm not happy about it either, chief." "Why would she need information about you and Officer Hopps?" "Like I said, I dunno. Maybe there's something about our suspect she knows that we don't." "Or maybe she IS our subject." "Uhm... with all due respect, I uh... sincerely doubt that." "Think about it. Officer Wilde. She has someone disguise their self as 'Alex', she has them run while she chases them. Then all of the sudden, she-" "Chief, I'm gonna ask you to stop there. I was watching how they were moving the entire time. All of their movements were precise, fine tuned to a tee. I would think only someone who's been hardened by several years of training and experience would be able to move like they did. In short, I'm pretty confident in saying Kyla's on our side." "Until we have proof... I don't believe you. Get out." "But chief-" "I said OUT!" Without another word, I walked out of his office. At that moment, I was pissed, but I understood his side. Unless I had objective evidence that she was a Z.S.D. agent, we couldn't rule her out as a suspect. Begrudgingly, I went back out to finish up what time I had left for today. Five more hours past, and it was night time. I was at home, relaxing after taking a shower. I'm not entirely sure why, but I still felt sort of down. Sure, I found out that there's an agent from an upper echelon possibly fighting on our side, but without proof, Kyla couldn't be ruled out. I sat down to watch TV, but I... I couldn't, not after today. It was while I was sitting there something caught my eye. On the small side table sat Judy's media player. I picked it up and turned it on, the song that was queued up was Try Everything by Gazelle... one of Judy's and my favorite songs. Not having anything better to do, I put the earbuds in, sat back, and listened silently. The song actually help calm my nerves oddly enough, and it also reminded me of when Judy and I had been dating. The first year after the Nighthowler incident was when we started to become a 'thing'. We had a lot of fun, mostly just dining at restaurants or, in general, just hanging out together. We'd dated on and off through that next year, and, just three months ago, in October... that was when I proposed to her. We were both finishing our work that day, and she was about to leave when I stopped her and said "Whoa-hey, hold up a moment there." as I lightly grabbed her shoulder. "Hm? What is it?" she said, understandably confused. "Before you zip on outta here, there's something I wanted to ask you. Before I ask of you what I will, I feel obligated to tell you this if I haven't already." "?" "Judy... the past two years and half I've known you... they've been the best years of my life. I couldn't imagine my life now without you..." There was silence after what I said. "So... the question?" she asked, a smile slowly growing on her face as she realized what I was about to ask. "Oh right! So... I'm fine with whatever answer I get, 'cause I'll at least be happy with the fact I tried. That in mind, my question is this..." I said as I knelt on one knee and pulled the small box from my pocket, "Judith, Laverne, Hopps..." and opened the little box, revealing the most adorable (and quite expensive I might add) diamond ring. "... Would you consider making me the happiest fox in the world?" She wept tears of joy, and like I said before, she gave me the happiest, most loving and squeezing hug ever and I heard her whisper it into my ear... "Yes, I will." We got a congrats from near everyone in the station, Clawhauser, heck, even Chief Bogo congratulated us. Then... of course... just a short month later, November 18th happened. Then, I remembered something else that happened before Judy was shot. I remember she took a new case, searching for a mammal supposedly linked to organized crime who was... somewhere in... Sahara Square...!? When I remembered that, I realized something about Kyla... there was definitely something she was hiding from me. Now I was destined to find out what.

========Author's Notes========  
Back again! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to release. I was taking a break from writing (plus life, job). I had it complete and everything, I was just waiting to release it.


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